U.S. Pat. No. 3,914,865 describes a device that cuts both the metal cannula and attached plastic hub or syringe barrel with separately actuated cutters. Another device marketed by Becton Dickinson under the trademark DESTRUCLIP is a box-like device that cuts the cannula and syringe barrel or hub in separately actuated cutting steps. The reason these devices required two cutting motions was because the stainless steel cannula required a very high cutting force over a small distance; i.e., diameter of cannula. Conversely, the much larger diameter thermoplastic hub or barrel required a greater distance of travel during its cutting step, but required less force because the thermoplastic was softer than the metal cannula. This double cutting motion required by an operator was tedious in that there were two manual cutting motions required, as well as two insertions of the needle or syringe into the device.
Other syringe and needle destroyers such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,404,593 and 3,785,233, which made both cuts a simultaneous operator motion, were cumbersome. They required very large levers to get both the long distance cutter travel for severing the large diameter hub or syringe barrel and also get the required cutting force for the metal cannula. Such units usually require the full arm motion of the operator.